Loading fork



Feb. 13, 1940. J SHUMAKER 2,199,573

LOADING FORK Filed Feb. 2, 1939 /5 c/.Lyfumaler f UNITE erre y PatentedFeb. `13,

" pl@ A alemn n l f" n LOADING FORK y 4' yJulius L 'shumakerg Martel, ohio l Appiieatian February 2, 193e; serial N0. 254,275`

' :invention relates to loading forks and more particularly to a `releasable loading fork` adapted to be used with an elevating means. t k "lflrnobjectof this invention isto provide a loads."` 551mg fork which may be used for loading yvarious articles and vvvliichmay be dumped or unloaded by release oa locking means forming part of the y :Another object of this invention isy to provide w" a loading forli of this ykind which [includes a handle which'may be used *to project the fori;

into thenaterialwhich is beingloaded thereupon,

` and` which may be held manually against dumping'until the fork has been elevatedand then 1:5" swung to the desired location where the fork may be dumpedor unloaded. l, U n `Afurther object of this invention isrto provide a Yloading fork of `this kind `wherein the fork is substantially balanced on a clevisor lifting means 2Q" so" that the person holding thehandlesgoi the de-` vice may readily maintain the' fork in a filled n n condition until the forkshas been `swung to the dumping or unloading position `whereupon the y releasing means may be operated to release the 25? fork' for unloading.`

To'the foregoing objects land izo-others which may hereinafter` appear, the invention consists ofthe novel coinstruction, combination and arrangement of `v parts as will be more specifically 39% referred to and illustrated in the accompanyingv drawing wherein is shown embodiments oi the in-' vention, butit is to be understood that changes,`

variations andmodications may be resorted to 35e claimen In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a 'detail side elevation partly broken which `fall rwithin the soopeof the `invention as i away Vand in section of a loading fork constructed according to an embodiment of this invention,

40s Figure 2 is a sectional view partly in top plan1 taken on the line'Z--Z of Figure l, y i

"Figure 3 is a fragmentarysectional view taken onthe line `3-3 of' Figure 2, t

Figurel is a fragmentary sectional view taken t 455er; theline lf-4 of 'Figure 3, and l Figurel 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken onthe line 5 5 of Figure 2. i

iiReferring to A'the drawing',` the numeral It I designates generally a loading fork which com;A prises a plurality of tine members v Hiwhich are lpreferably constructed out of materialwhich-is substantially T-shaped in transversesection and these'tine members i! are provided with a relativelyvstraiglit bodyportion l2 andan upwardly 55"'4'CilffYell1sa1 .Portion '3f The upwardly .Curved M t i. Y -V`ifcnnms; (01; 2944124) rear*` portions i3 of the tinesV I! are secured toe"` gether by means of Ia transversely disposedfangle Hl which may be welded or `otherwisejxedly secured tothe upwardly bent portions i3 yof the tines. s .n n y n' The fork' wat each side thereof is provided,

with abracing member i5 which is secured at its.; s

rear end to the upper rear portion of the'tines and at its forward end to ,a tine as by welding rivets or the like as indicated at i. j 0

The tines il ,are also secured to a transversely `extendingangle bar il which; is 4welded tothe stem portions i8 of the; tines and `ashaft or elena` gated `bolt it extendsithrough the angle formed` l bytheangle member#` il; The shaft orbolt i8 is u secured to theiorward end of a U-shaped`handle or frame member which-is formed in the pr'esenty instance out oftubular materialand is provided at the free endsofthe parallel legs thereof with` flattened or` bearing portions 2li through 20` which thebolt or shaft i@ extends. t i

n The handle `or frame 2t) yis provided on `the upper side thereof at ,af point intermediate the ends of the parallel legs 22 vthereof with an 11p-rv warcllyV oiset'bar 23 provided with downwardly 25` extending opposite end portions 24 terminating in basejportions 25 which are adapted to be sei` n y cured as by fastening members 26 to the parallel legs 22s The bar 23 constitutesa combined,guide` retainer and stop element fora slidablyrnounted 30. y

fork 'locking bar 2l"`which` extends transversely lof thetwolegs 22ioiijthe frame 2li betweenthel legs, 22 and the bars 23` and is provided with i i ydo'wnturned end portions 23 arrangedagainst the outer sides of the legs 22. .A guide `or bar operat- 35, ing rods 29 are slidable `through the guide ineml`f i l b ersi iiXed-to the inner sides of each leg member "22 `and the rods 29 are provided with right angularly disposed inner end portions 3| forming handles which are normally disposed forwardly 40 or in spacedrelationto the bight 32 of the frame j v 2G. Theforward end of each rcd Ill is secured as by a fastening means (f3 to the locking bar 21 and a spring .'34 is "positioned about the `rod 29 `and at onefend bears against `the adiacenti end side oi the fork `lil therebyv providing a space f3.8. 5

between the keeper member 3l and the upper'end 1 of the cam 35E within which the locking member 2l is adapted to engage so `as to thereby hold the of a clevis generally designated as 3S which comprises a pair of C-shaped portions which are pivotally secured at one end-on the shaft or bolt I9.v The opposite end of the said members All are connected'togetherby a V-shaped connecting member 4| and a transverselyl extending bracing bar is secured against the lower or divergent ends of the V-shapedmember 4l. Preferably, a bracing bar i3 is secured withinthe .chanel formed by the material o f which the clevis 39 is. constructed and aring 44 is mounted about the apexv of the V-shaped member 4l! and is adapted to receive a sheave which may be connectedto a suitable elevating means so that the vfork may be swung from a loading to an unload- Iing position.

Preferably, the clevis' 39 is constructed of a single bar whichv is substantially U-s'hapedv in transverse section with the channeled portion thereof outermost.

In the use and operation of this loading fork during the loading of the fork, the fork member vill is adapted to be locked relative to the handle rearwardly to a released position against the tenory frame 3i] with the locking bar 2l engagedin the keeper formed by the bar 3l and the upper yend of the cam member 3e. The tines ll may be projected into the pile of material and then the fork'may be elevated by the elevating cable or member d6 which is trained through the sheavel 45. The loaded fork may then be swung to the desired location with the operator of the fork grasping the frame or handle 2d so as to maintainthe fork lil in a substantially horizontal and loaded position.r When itis desired to unload the fork lll, the locking bar 2l may be pulled sion of the springs 34 -by pulling the handles 3l rearwardly. This will permit the fork l0 to rock downwardly and forwardly `on the shaft E9. In

the present instance, the locking bar 2l is provided with'two locking bar operators 2S and .two handles 3l but it will be understood that if desired, thetwo handles 3! which. confront each other-may be connected to'gether'so that the bar 2l may be pulled rearwardly with only one hand'. The clevis 39 may also be provided with an extension at the upper end thereof so as to position the ring M in a plane forwardly of the shaft i9.

This may be done where the material which is being loaded is relatively heavy and will have a tendency to tip or tilt the fork forwardly where a small clevis is used. i

A fork has been actually constructed according to this invention and from experiments has been found to be more eflicient than forks at present available `or in use and this loading fork will per,-`

l' mit thequick loading or unloading of suitable material as the fork may be suspended from .the elevating member 6 and merely projected into the material by the operator who grasps the frame 2l) and subsequently merely holds the fork It,

against unloading in the event the forward portion of the fork is unduly loaded. The unloading operation can be effected easily and quickly by pulling the locking bar 2l rearwardly so that the fork itl will freely swing to anv unloading position similar to that shown in Figure l.

As will be noted from the drawing, the keeper member 31 projects rearwardly a suicient distance from the rear edge of the cam Sso that when the forkl I0 is swung downwardly to a [locked or loading position, the projecting portion of the keeper member 37 will serve as a limiting means to prevent the locking bar 21 from riding out past the opening 38 formed between the keeper bar 3l. and the upper end of the cam 36.

What I claim is: l

LA loading lfork comprising a fork member, a U-shaped handle frame, means pivotally securing said fork` member on said frame, a clevis pvotally carried by said fork member, lspring-pressed locking means disposed transversely of and `slidably mounted on said frame and engageable with the sides of said fork member to releasably hold said fork member against movementrelative to said frame and spaced parallel combined guide, re-

tainer rand stop elements vsecured on said frame for said locking means.

2. Aloa'ding fork comprising afork member, a

U-shaped handle member, means pivotally` securing said fork member t0 said handle member,l

springpressed locking means vmounted on and disposed transversely of said handle member, combined guide, retainer and stop elements secured upon said handle for said locking means and a cam-shaped keeper carried by said fork by provide a lock recess, said bar having another portion thereof projecting rearwardly of the rear edge of the cam member and constituting a guide means for guiding `a locking -means into said recess, a spring-pressedflocking means slidably mounted on said handle, and combined'guiding, retaining andv stopping means secured to the handle for said locking means.

4. A loading fork comprising a fork member having an upwardlyy bent rearportion, a handle pivotally carried by said kfork member, a seg-l mental cam carried by the upwardly bent portion of said fork member, a keeper bar fixed to said fork member in spaced relation to an end of said cam, a spring-pressed locking means slidably `carried by said handle for extension into the space between said 'bar and cam to lock thev fork, and a combined guiding, retaining and stopping means on said handle forl the said lockingy means.

5. A loading fork comprising a fork member,

l a U-shaped handle Vpivotally secured to said fork member, said fork member having an upwardly vcurved rear portion, a pair of spaced apart cam members fixed to the rear side of said upwardly curved portion, a rearwardlyprojecting keeper bar spaced from an'end of each cam member and projecting rearwardly thereof, a locking bar extending transversely between the parallel legs or" said handle, guide means carried by each leg of said handle for slidably mounting said locking bar on the handle, releasing means slidably carried by said handle and secured to said locking bar,

and resilient means normally urging said locking bar toa locking position.

6. A` loading fork comprisinga fork member, a 'LJ-shaped handle pivotally secured to said fork member, said fork member having an upwardly curved rear portion, a pair of spaced apartA cam members fixed to the rear side of said upwardly curved portion, a rearwardly projecting keeper `bar spaced from an end of each cam member and projecting rearwardly thereof, a lockingbarextending transversely between the parallel legs l of said handle, the opposite ends of said bar being arcuately bent to partially engage about the legs of said handle, guide means carried by each leg of said handle for slidably mounting said locking bar on the handle, releasing meanspslidably carried by said handle and secured vto said locking bar, and resilient means normally urging said lockingv barto a locking position.

` 7. A loading fork comprising a fork member, a U-shaped handle pivotally secured to said fork member, said fork member having an upwardly curved rear portion, a pair of spaced apart cam arcuately bent to partially engage about the legs of said handle, guide means carried by each` leg `said handle, the opposite ends of said bar being of said handle for slidably mounting said locking bar on the handle, a pair of rearwardly projecting releasing members fixed at their forward e ends to said locking bar, means slidably mounting;

lreleasing members on the legs of said handle,

inwardly projecting handles carried by said releasing members, and resilient means normally urging said locking barto a locking position.`

JU'LIUS L. SHUMAKER, 

